Bushwalk Australia

Hi, I am looking at purchasing a tarptent - either the rainbow, double rainbow or double moment - I really only need a one person tent but I had a mackpack minaret years ago (another one man tent) and found this two claustrophobic (Im 6'3).

Has anyone had any experience with any of these tents (or other tarptents) as apparently I have to buy them from USA and there is no where to view them in the flesh so to speak over here.

Cheers
Ben

You've come to the right place Ben. There will likely be an avalanche of replies.

Personally I've used the Tarptent Scarp 2 for over 5 years or so now and love it. Tarptent have an excellent reputation. Stay tuned for responses from people with those models. It would probably be worth your time doing a search through the forums for existing discussions too.

cams wrote:You've come to the right place Ben. There will likely be an avalanche of replies.

Personally I've used the Tarptent Scarp 2 for over 5 years or so now and love it. Tarptent have an excellent reputation. Stay tuned for responses from people with those models. It would probably be worth your time doing a search through the forums for existing discussions too.

thanks - I did look at that one but I am particularly after a tent which can be free standing and it didn't look like it fit the bill

If you are after a freestanding tent then Tarptent is probably not your best option. Yes, some models are freestanding with additional poles but they are nowhere near as simple as a true freestanding shelter. I have a Scarp 1 which is probably the best "free standing" offering from TT, but that claim is a bit laughable really.

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IF you want freestanding Tarptent are releasing the Bowfin 1. Their first free-standing tent.

The Bowfin still needs the vestibules to be pegged out.

A 'freestanding' tent always needs some pegs or tie-outs. Even a pop-up is better with pegs. The thing to look for is minimal pegs if thats a concern but probably very rarely needed.

The three tents you mentioned will fit you at 6'3" even on top of a wide and long mat.
On each product page there is a 3D clip showing a 6' dummy inside. Not ideal for your extra 3" but you should be able to see the extra room available to you.

You mentioned the Minaret but did you mean the Microlite ?
(the Minaret is meant to be a 2 person tent)
franco@tarptent
(no, I don't sell them...)
BTW, neither the Microlite nor the Minaret are freestanding so no idea where that comes from but yes the new Bowfin is as freestanding as most but requiring two pegs for the vestibules. There are freestanding tents needing 8-12 pegs to work (before adding guylines...)
This is the Bowfin :

Not designed as a 4 season tent, it just happens that was snowing at Nevada City when the photos were taken.
(it will take some snow...)

I've got a Moment (single), and I love it. It's my favourite three season tent ever.

It's light, easy to put up and down. Stands up to a bit of a bashing from the weather.

The only thing I would suggest with the Moment is getting the optional interior cover thing that goes along the roof. It stops a little bit of condensation falling on you.

It's pretty airy - I find much more than the Scarp.

The Moment was replaced by the Moment DW.
Double wall (mesh or fabric inner, you chose) with two doors and two vestibules .
(you can shift the inner towards either door to make the other vestibule larger if required)
Set up and exterior size is the same.
BTW, all double wall TT shelters are integral pitch so you set the fly up with the inner attached or fly only, if you like.

Franco wrote:The Moment was replaced by the Moment DW.

Ahh I did wonder if it had undergone an update. I've been using my older one for years.

Just looked it up (https://www.tarptent.com/momentdw.html). Looks great and I love the double vestibule.

Sorry, yes I meant the microlite - and yes, I know that was not freestanding but I only referred to that due to the tiny size.

So withthe rainbow, it appears pretty well free standing but needs some pegs for the vestibules? sounds like an easy fix with a bit of thinking.

Cheers
Ben

The Rainbow needs 6 pegs to work. You can use trekking poles to make it sort of freestanding but you still then need to peg it down anyway.
Once the main pole is in the sleeve it is very easy to move around (say to a different spot) keeping most of its shape .
The Bowfin is , apart from the vestibules, freestanding , it isn't a replacement of the Rainbow but an additional product.

I know you did not ask for freestanding, it was added by someone else.

Franco wrote:The Rainbow needs 6 pegs to work. You can use trekking poles to make it sort of freestanding but you still then need to peg it down anyway.
Once the main pole is in the sleeve it is very easy to move around (say to a different spot) keeping most of its shape .
The Bowfin is , apart from the vestibules, freestanding , it isn't a replacement of the Rainbow but an additional product.

I know you did not ask for freestanding, it was added by someone else.

Thanks, actually I did say it needed to be free standing for mthis paricular tent as I am buying it with one walk in mind. So the rainbow is not freestanding despite what the website states. This is somewhat frustrating that I cannot trust the manufacturer. Having said this, I am confused at to how the rainbow is not freestanding after examinign the pictures thoroughly (with the aid of the walking poles that is).

I have both the Moment DW and a Double Rainbow. When I'm hiking solo I prefer the Moment DW due to its easier and faster setup - 2 pegs if weather is good - 4 if there is a bit of wind. The solid inner reduces condensation a fair bit and I find there is plenty of room for one person plus gear but at 5'10" I'm a fair bit shorter than the OP. The pack can go in the vestibule if necessary. While its not free standing it wouldnt be hard to anchor the two ends with rocks or anything else if you cant use pegs.

I use the Double Rainbow (including the internal liner to reduce condensation) when the better half comes with me and while it is also a good tent I prefer the Moment for ease of setup and true solid inner. Pitching both the inner and outer together is brilliant after a long day IMO.

Drummo62 wrote:I have both the Moment DW and a Double Rainbow. When I'm hiking solo I prefer the Moment DW due to its easier and faster setup - 2 pegs if weather is good - 4 if there is a bit of wind. The solid inner reduces condensation a fair bit and I find there is plenty of room for one person plus gear but at 5'10" I'm a fair bit shorter than the OP. The pack can go in the vestibule if necessary. While its not free standing it wouldnt be hard to anchor the two ends with rocks or anything else if you cant use pegs.

I use the Double Rainbow (including the internal liner to reduce condensation) when the better half comes with me and while it is also a good tent I prefer the Moment for ease of setup and true solid inner. Pitching both the inner and outer together is brilliant after a long day IMO.

Thanks, so have you ever set up the Double rainbow using trekking poles and if you have, could it be considered free standing?

I have an original Tarptent Moment with a liner and the optional crossing pole, which makes the tent freestanding - same with the Tarptent Moment DW. I also have a Hilleberg Nallo 2, but I often find myself using the Moment when I am soloing, even in winter and even down the southwest, although I sometimes throw in a very lightweight bivvy bag for my sleeping bag if I think I might have to endure some weather. My Moment is lighter, quicker to set up and - with the crossing pole - it's freestanding. If you want a freestanding Tarptent, you could have a look at the Moment DW with the optional crossing pole.

Re rainbow, I have and it worked ok. I had misslaid the main pole so used 2 poles for uprights under vestuiule hoods and a mates pair as the spreaders . No means perfect but held up. By no means a 4 season tent. But the MSR Hubba isnt either

rucksack wrote:I have an original Tarptent Moment with a liner and the optional crossing pole, which makes the tent freestanding - same with the Tarptent Moment DW. I also have a Hilleberg Nallo 2, but I often find myself using the Moment when I am soloing, even in winter and even down the southwest, although I sometimes throw in a very lightweight bivvy bag for my sleeping bag if I think I might have to endure some weather. My Moment is lighter, quicker to set up and - with the crossing pole - it's freestanding. If you want a freestading Tarptent, you could have a look at the Moment DW with the optional crossing pole.

With the moment and the additional pole, is is good freestanding, or just, yeah it can be called freestanding?

Thanks, so have you ever set up the Double rainbow using trekking poles and if you have, could it be considered free standing?

I haven't set it up with trekking poles but I would think that even with trekking poles you would need to peg/anchor the vestibules.

Alot of tents that are said to be freestanding are only free standing if you dont peg out the vestibule( then the fly flaps if you dont).
I used the TT Moment DW on the PCT, it is a great tent. On Muir Pass in the Sierra I was able to set it up on solid granite boulder. Just a few rocks and two walking poles. I do have a bit extra cord on both ends just for those eventualities. It saved me a big drenching that day as I could see the storm coming up the valley and with no conventional campsites i adapted and overcame.
It is a very fast set up and the integral pitch works a treat in the above circumstances( I had a young German set up beside me, he had been a bit behind me and by the time he started to set up his freestanding MSR it had started to bucket down and he had a bit of mopping up to do in his tent)

Roger

MrFaulty wrote:

rucksack wrote:I have an original Tarptent Moment with a liner and the optional crossing pole, which makes the tent freestanding - same with the Tarptent Moment DW. I also have a Hilleberg Nallo 2, but I often find myself using the Moment when I am soloing, even in winter and even down the southwest, although I sometimes throw in a very lightweight bivvy bag for my sleeping bag if I think I might have to endure some weather. My Moment is lighter, quicker to set up and - with the crossing pole - it's freestanding. If you want a freestading Tarptent, you could have a look at the Moment DW with the optional crossing pole.

With the moment and the additional pole, is is good freestanding, or just, yeah it can be called freestanding?

It's a good freestanding. I have the use of the entire floorspace and all vestible space when used with the crossing pole and I can pick up the Moment and move it with the tent staying secure. I also use this setup on the beach when kayak touring and I use no pegs at all. Works for me.

So the rainbow is not freestanding despite what the website states. This is somewhat frustrating that I cannot trust the manufacturer.
The description on our web site is :
Free-standing (with trekking poles) or staked
and that is correct following the industry standard where by freestanding is meant that the tent keeps its shape without pegging however that does not include vestibules.
Mostly it has to do with the fact that Americans call this :

a tent.
So as you can see that is sort of freestanding but when you add the "rain fly" you need several pegs so that the fly will not ..fly away or touch the inner "tent"

There are a few fully freestanding tents( including vestibule) , the only solo version that I can think of is the Hilleberg Soulo, a 3 pole 2.4kg tent that I would not suggest to a 6'3" person (others may think it's OK)

Don't worry about it. Tarptents are good gear. It will arrive in two weeks. I went for the protrail which is not freestanding and pretty minimalist. I'm 6'2" and have plenty of length in its 213cm. If you want a bit of extra width inside then go for a double model. It's hard to decide which one!

As Franco points out its a bit of an American thing where they refer to the tent part and then the fly. So the tent part is often called freestanding but in reality when you put the fly over then it needs pegs to make it taught. Looks like the Moment with extra pole will suit you and just over a kilo.

Thanks everyone, certainly seems like the tarptent is the way to go, especially given my height. My only decsion now is which one, DW moment or rainbow and omne or two person - decisions decisions.

I reckon with a few manufactured add ons that wont actually modify the tent, I can make it totally free standing!

Do you know if you like single-skin tents or do you want a double wall tent? Do you want two vestibules or is one enough? If you work out those things it might help with your decision.
I have a tarptent and I love it, an SS1.

Am I missing something here? If you want/need a totally freestanding tent, why not just buy a totally freestanding tent?

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never had a single skin tent so not sure on that aspect, single vestibule is fine. Just thiking of going for the two person for a bit of extra room.

Apparently there are not really too many true free standing tents out there and the ones that are are horrendously expensive and not roomy enough

Franco wrote:So the rainbow is not freestanding despite what the website states. This is somewhat frustrating that I cannot trust the manufacturer.
The description on our web site is :
Free-standing (with trekking poles) or staked
and that is correct following the industry standard where by freestanding is meant that the tent keeps its shape without pegging however that does not include vestibules.
Mostly it has to do with the fact that Americans call this :

a tent.
So as you can see that is sort of freestanding but when you add the "rain fly" you need several pegs so that the fly will not ..fly away or touch the inner "tent"

There are a few fully freestanding tents( including vestibule) , the only solo version that I can think of is the Hilleberg Soulo, a 3 pole 2.4kg tent that I would not suggest to a 6'3" person (others may think it's OK)

Some Big agnes tents, or tents + fly are free-standing because the fly clips to the 'tent'. The BA copper spur is an example.

This is the BA Copper Spur 1 :


notice anything there ?
(official BA photo)